At the March NFTC conference in Houston, there was a lot of interesting discussion about the changing job market and the kinds of work opportunities that will or won’t be available to young people in the future. As one who is paying college tuitions, I found the topic gripping! For a long time, general education as exemplified in U.S. Liberal Arts and Sciences college programs has been a hallmark of the U.S.—and a wonderful one. How many 18-year-olds really know what they want to do for the rest of their lives and are fully ready to specialize when they go off to college? How rich and wonderful to be able to continue to study across a range of subjects, with the notion that a well-rounded person will be able to apply his skills to learning any kind of profession.
While I remain a fan of a Liberal Arts education, I also acknowledge that it’s not necessarily the right fit for every student and that there are many who would enjoy and benefit from more specialized training at a younger age; and, as a country, we have been neglecting these kids, whose options have become increasingly limited. As part of this discussion, the following article is an interesting one: http://www.wnyc.org/story/states-want-more-career-and-technical-training-but-struggle-to-find-teachers